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No. 93,594. PATENTED AUG. 10, 1869. 0. B. BROWN.

OPTICAL INSTRUMENT.

a SKEETS-SHEBT 1,

itnesses.-

N 93 594 v PATBNTED AUG. 10, 1869.

' T 0. B. BROWN.

OPTICAL INSTRUMENT.

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fiu enton- 0. B. BROWN.

OPTICAL INSTRUMENT.

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- 'PATENTBD AUG. 10, 1869.

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-o. B. BROWN, or MAL D-EN, MASSACHUSETTS".

Letters Patent-N0. 93,594, dated August 10, 1869.

OPTICAL INSTRUMENT.

The fichedule referred to in these Letters Patent andmaklng part of the nmo.

T 0 all whom, it may concern;

Be -it known thatI, O. B.'BROWN, of'Malden', in the county of Middlesex, and State of-Massachnsetts, have invented a new and improved Optical Instrument; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part.

of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of optical instru ments in which is included the instrument known as the phantasmascope, or phena-kistoscope, by means of which, figures repiesentedin difi'erent relative attitudes are seen successively, so as to produce the'appearance of objects in mot-iomin consequence of t-llB'PGlSlStBIlCG of the successive visual impressions upon the retina;

and also to that class of instruments in which is in chided the magic lantern, or pnantasmago'ria, by wh'icn figures are represented upon a wall onscreen by means of lenses, lamps,- reflecting-mirrors, and transparent plates, technicallycalled sliders. 1 The object of my invention is to combine the principle of the phantasmascope, or phenakistoscope with that of the phautasm'agorih, or magic-lantern, in an instrument which may be used as an attachment to the ordinary magic-lantern and similar devices, or asa separate and independent instrument, and bymeans of which figures may be represented upon'a wall orscreen so as to produce the appearance of objects in motion.

I am aware that a Frenchman named Du Bo'scq has combined the phenakistoscope withthe magic-lantern in such a manner as to represent-upon a wall or screen one figure or group of figures at a time, by arranging in a circle upon a revolving disk transparent figures represented in diflerent relative attitudes, and rotating said disk so to bring said figures successively within theconjugate focus of the lens. I am likewise aware thatjBenjainiu Pike has provided a means for repre-' senting moving figures upon a wall onscreen by pivoting' a circular transparent plate to the slider of a magic-lantern, and rotating said pivoted transparent plate by means of bevel gearin also by pivoting to the slider two transparent plates and rotating, them in opposite directions.

The nature of my invention consists in First. Transparent plates, capable of being readily attached to and detached from, and rotated in, a

slider.

Second. A slider for a magic-lantern or similar instrument, so constructed'that transparent plates may be readily attached thereto and removed therefrom, and provided with mechanism for imparting an intermittent rotary motion to said plates when so attached.

Third. A device by means of which the figures represented on the platesmay be shown upon thewall or Figure l isa. perspective view of my invention as i applied to an ordinary magic-lantem or similar instrument.

, figure 2 is a .ougirucinai vertical seiition, triples: at; ing my invention in 'a form in which it may be used either as an attachment to an ordinary magic-lanternor as a separate and indcpendent'instrumens.

I Figure 3 isa perspective view of the slider with one of thetrausparent plates attached thereto.'

-liignre' t is a front .view of the slider, showing the manner in which the plates are attached. and'the means by .which they are caused to revolve.

Figures 5, 6, and 7,. aresidc views', showing the meansby which the figures represented on the trans: parent plates are shown upon the wallor screen-as ar ranged in asemicircleor apparently reduced to a sin-" gle figure;

,A represents the front end-of a magicrianterm-to which is attachedthe tube B, within which slides the smaller tube B carrying the objectrlens 0.. A concentratingdens is arranged between the lens 0 and the lamp, as shown 2.110 in fig. 2, andbetween-the twoj lenses provision .is made for the sliders. In the fornr shown in the drawings the metallic plate a which 'secures the tube B to the lantern, is,bent.so as-toform a groove between the lantern andthe inner endof the lens-tube, for the reception of the slider D is aframo. which fits in the groove formed by the plate a, and-is 1 held in place by a spring-catch d. 4 The frame D reccives the slider E, in which isa circularope'ningcor-i responding in size with the tube-B and the openingin.

the front end of the lantern, and is furnished with a spring-catch e which engages with theouter end of the slider and prevents it from slipping out of the frame. 1? is a bar attached tothe frame E and supported by a standard 1 It is provided at either end with bearings f f in which is jonrnalled a shaft G.

On the outer end of the shaft G is a disk H, which maybe made of any suitable opaque material. Two.

curved'slots h m are made in the disk H diametrically opposite to'each other by cutting out the portions in- 'between said radii, and are diametrically opposite to ber of these pins, and the number of slots in the disk pins should always correspond with. the number of slots. Between the wheel I and the'onter end' of the suitable material.

gear-wheel K, which meshes in to a gear-wheel M'jouris attached a spur-wheel S, the number of spu'rs ir r -on the transparentplatcs I.' These'platcs may be of material, and'thefignres may be'represented the'reou nular gear-wheel K by projections engaging with the notches; or they may be polygonalgirr form, and held in place by fitting in a correspondingdepression on the each figure developing the desired movement somemediately in front of this "one represents the body irithe ground and the t'eetijnst leaving the ground; and so on progressively around thecircle untilthe difl'er- 'mediately to? the left of tlrc'first'represents a ring in a revolutionand a ball just passing through it; and each the desired movement. ltis a rod passing through an -in'figs. 2 and 5. T is ablock which .is arraugcdto cluded between the radii 1 2 and arcs 3 4 and themdii 5 6 and arcs 7 8; The width of said slots h h is greater than the diameter of the tube B, and. their extreme length is equal to one-fourth of a circle of which the line 3 and the line 7 form arcs. The opaque portions h h between said slots are of equal dimensions each'other. The disk H is keyed on the shaft G,-or secured by a nutand screw-thread. or otherwise, as maybe desired. On thc 'innerend oi the shalt G is a wheel I, from one side of which project two pins 1; i, placed diametricallyopposite to each other. Tire num- H need not be confined to two; but the number of nailed in the slider. On one side of the gear-wheel M which should-correspond \v'ith'th'e number of figures glass, mica, horn',orany other. suitable transparent by painting, photographing, or any other suitable process. The plates-may be circular in form, notched on their edges, and held in place oil the side of the; an-

side of the wheel K. Lateral motion of the wheel ruidplate prevented by means of a flange N- and pivoted latch L, as shown in figs. 3 and 4. The fi' urcs are arranged upon the transparent plates in differerrt'positionswith relatiorrto each-other, having in view the apparent movements sought to be imparted to them when represented upon the wall or screen, and

what more than the figure immediately preceding it. Thus, in fig. 30f the drawings, the appearance sought to be produced is that of persons engaged in the act of tumb1ing:. Of the figures delineatedlonf the plate, one represents a person standing erect; the figure irrr-- -cliue d.. forward and the -'hands about to touch the ground; the third figure 'represeuts the hands upon ent developments of the desired movement are completed. In fig. 5 of the drawings, the appearance sought to be. produced is that of a series of r'evolviug rings with balls passing through them: The figure at the top of the plate presents to the observer an edge view of a ring through which a ball has just passed and toward which another ball is moving; the figure imdiflerent position and a ball verynear it;' the third figure represents a ring further advanced in the act of succeeding figure represents a further development of aperture in the top of the lantern at the front end. On the upper end of this rod isa. milled wheel or knob r, and at the lower end is a pinion p, more clearly shown slide vertically in grooves on the inside of the front end plate of thelautem. Two semicircnlzu-v opaque plates U U are pivotedat their centres, one on each side of the block T. On the edges 'of the plates U U are racks which engage with the pinion 1). On the inside of the front end of the lantern arc lugs or projections Z, placed one on each side of the circular opening opposite the tube B, and withtheir upper portions opposite the'centre of said openings.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The transparent plate P is inserted in its place in the slider E, and the slider placed in the frame D'so that the pins 6 'l'on the wheel I will engage with the spurs on the spur-wheel B. As the driving-pulley J is revolved and motion transmitted to the shaft G, the disk H alternately cuts oil and admits the light from the'lens-tube, accordingly as theopaque portions or the slotted portions arc-brought before the end of the tube; and the pins 1' i. on the wheel I engage withthe spur-wheel S, and impart an intermittent rotary ,motion toithe annular gear-wheel K by rneansvoi' the gear wheel M to which said spur-wheel S is attached. The arrangement of the pins i 5 oh the wheel I, and their engagement with the spur-wheel S, is such, with relationto tlre diskH,.that when one of the slotsh h" Sis opposite the outer end of the lens-tube all of the figures on the plate P are represented in certainpositions with'relation to each other; and while one of the' opaque portions h'f Ir" is passing the end of. tlre'lenstube, the position of the plate 1 is being changed so as to place each. figure at the point just previously occupied by the preceding figure, by reason of the motion imparted by the pins j r. on the wheel I to the annular: gear-wheel K through thespur-r-heel S and gee. -wheel M. When the figures are arranged in a circle upon the plate P, as in fig. 5, they maybe rep-.

resented upon the wall oi-screeu asarranged in a-sem'icircle by moving down the sliding block T until it rests uponthe lugs l I, as shown in fig. 6, thus shuttingotf one-half of the light. Thenumber of figures represeuted may be further reduced by turning the knob r,

when the pinion 1: will an c with the racks on the semicircular opaque plates U and turn'thern soas to shut o'tt' stillnrore of the light, as shown in fig. 7.

By intermittently rotating the transparentplates while the opaque portions of the revolving 'disk are cutting otf the light from the lens-tube, the position of the figures is changed with such rapidity that before the -impression of one figure vhasfaded fi'om'the retina,

another figure isplaced at the point just occupied by it; and all the figures are seen successively and apparently merged in'to'each other so quickly that they appear'to'be in motion. 7

f This instrument may be made complete in itself and used'independently, without being enclosed like the ordinarymagic-lantern, by substituting a board or plate A for the front end of a lantern as showuin fig. 2, and attachingthe parts to said board or plate.

\Vheu used in this form, by placing a larup in the rear of the concentrating-lens O' and a reflector behind the lamp, the efi'ect is substantially the same except that there is less brilliau'cythau there would be it the in- ,strument were'providcd with a box or case:

- This iustrument'is not onlyentertaining asa'source of amusement, but is useful as a means for imparting instruction. 1t rrray be used toillustrate the workings of various kinds of machinery, such as windwheels, water-wheels, sawing-machines, eugizres, 85c. It may also be used as a means of illustrating the science of astronomy, and various other sciences, by preparing and arranging the turusparent plates so as to produce the desired result; Some of the parts may be slightly changed so as to pr duce a somewhat dii'-' fcreut result: By substituting a-pinion for the wheel I and a'gear-wh'eel for the spur-wheel S, and dispensing with the disk H, the working of a windmill or. Waterinill may be illustrated, -hyreprcseutiug the mill upon a stationary plate and the wheel upon a movable plate,

and rotating the movable plate by the means herein phenakistoscope and magicrlaniern, so constructed that it may be used either as an attachment to an ordinary magic-lantern or as a separate andindependent instru merit, snbstantially'as shown and described.

a 2.. S0 combining detachable transparent plates with the slider of a magic-lantern or similar instrument as to represent moving figures upon a wall or screen, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the polygonal plates with the annulargear-wheel, substantially as shown and described for the purpose specified.

4. Imparting an intermittent rotary motion to the transparent plates when inserted in place in the slider, by-the means substantially as shown and described.

5. Representing the figures upon a Wall or screen as arranged in a semicircle or less than a semicircle, by

the means substantially as shown and described.

6. The revolving perforated disk for alternately cutting off and admitting the light, in combination with the mechanism for imparting an intermittent rotary motion to the transparent plates, substantially as shown and described. 7 Y O. B. BROWN.

Witnesses:

W. F. HAVEN, I F. HENRY GHADWICK. 

